General

The final component of the outline to the basic financial plan is going to be estate planning.  For the average married couple federal estate taxes will not be an issue.  As for state estate [...]

The next part of the journey in our financial plan is asset allocation.  When we consider the asset allocation we are talking about equities, bonds, real estate, commodities, and cash. Depending [...]

As we continue on our path to a financial plan the next stop is one that may get a little complicated and that is in the area of insurance.  Now there are many types of insurance and all are [...]

The next step in our journey to a financial plan is the estimation of any goals that require saving for, any college expenses that need to be accounted for, and how to better manage your taxes by [...]

In our last blog we examined how to start a financial plan by using budgets to establish the groundwork for everything else.  Just remember that budgets are not the equivalent of a four letter [...]

Are you saving enough for retirement?  Do you have your assets where they need to be to optimize taxes and potential returns?  These are just some of the questions I am sure people ask themselves [...]

The next six blogs will cover the basic steps involved in creating a financial plan.  Instead of creating a long single blog entry I have decided to break this topic up into six manageable blogs [...]

Are all index funds the same?  That depends on the index and how they measure it.  While most indexed mutual funds and ETFs are weighted based on the company’s market capitalization.  In this [...]

Do you have permanent life insurance and normally give to charity?  Are you in a position where you may not need the proceeds of a life insurance policy?  If so you may consider donating your [...]

Are you nearing retirement?  Do you have a lot of debt going into retirement?  There are some steps you can take to make sure your retirement is one that is debt free.  That is the best way to [...]